


Bathtime

by yolk_sac



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Gem Egg Hell, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-23
Updated: 2016-04-23
Packaged: 2018-06-04 02:12:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,383
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6636913
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yolk_sac/pseuds/yolk_sac
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>peridot gets clean</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bathtime

Peridot sat alone on the sofa of the beach house. She wasn't sure if the act of warping made her nauseous or if it was the rebels deliberating on what to do with her in the next room over. She could hear them whispering, no doubt about her. Still, she was thankful for the shelter and their mercy.

She noticed the Pearl glancing back at her in between sentences. Her expression was not a kind one; she looked disgusted. Peridot knew prejudices ran deep. The pearl's opinions about gemlings were most likely the same as Jasper's. The rebels may have lived on Earth for thousands of years, but a gem was a gem, and a gem wasn't supposed to reproduce. The pearl whispered something to Steven, who made brief eye contact with Peridot before running off. Peridot flattened her ears in shame. Her face burned; all she could do was close her eyes and try to tune them out.

“Pearl says you're too dirty to be sitting on the sofa,” Steven said as he poked his head around the corner, startling Peridot. “She says you need a bath if you want to stay here.” Peridot glanced down at her body. Her jumpsuit was absolutely filthy, and her skin wasn't much better. She hadn't seen her hair in ages but she imagined it was a knotted, grimy mess as well. She tried to keep up with her grooming at first but it became too difficult as time went on. Eventually all hygiene took a backseat to basic survival. Peridot shrugged and extended her tongue to groom her arm.

“Not like that!” Steven grabbed Peridot's arm before she could lick it. “You need to take an _actual_ bath. Like in water. I got the tub filled up for you already.”

“Water?” Peridot asked. Water wasn't much of a commodity back on Homeworld. She knew what it was, and she was aware of its uses, but she had never _bathed_ in it before. “How do I 'take a bath?'”

Steven scratched his head. He wasn't expecting to have to teach an alien how to bathe today. Never a dull moment. He held out his hand to help Peridot up from the sofa. Her leg was still in bad shape and it would take a lot more than a hot bath to fix it.

–

Peridot's long claws clacked on the tile floor of the bathroom. Steven told her to take off her clothes and get into the tub, and he'd help her with the rest. Peridot shimmied down her jumpsuit like she was shedding her skin. The last time she had removed it was when she and Jasper were still involved. Those days felt like an eternity ago. Minding her broken leg, Peridot stepped out of the leggings of her jumpsuit. She was naked, now to get into the water. Tentatively, she dipped one foot into the bath and wiggled her toes. The water was pleasantly warm as it swirled around her ankle. She slowly lowered the rest of her body into the water, being careful as to not slip.

The dirt on her skin melted away as Peridot settled down into the water. “Okay,” she called out to Steven waiting just outside the door. “I'm in the tub now.” She didn't understand why he couldn't have just stayed with her while she undressed. It must have been an Earth bathing custom she wasn't aware of.

Steven stepped into the room, covering his eyes. He felt along the wall, trying to locate Peridot and the tub. His flipflops squeaked on the tile as he tiptoed his way carefully across the room.

Not carefully enough.

He ended up tripping over Peridot's jumpsuit, which she haphazardly sprawled across the floor. Peridot cocked her head. “Why are you covering your eyes?” she asked Steven, who lied slumped on the ground.

“You're naked!” he exclaimed. Peridot looked down at her body. She _was_ naked, true. But what was the problem? Every gem on Homeworld was to wear their Diamond-sanctioned uniform at all times. Any gem found deviating was sentenced to the harvester. They weren't on Homeworld though, so Peridot felt no guilt. She abandoned Homeworld's ideals anyway, ever since she found out she was carrying. She was her own gem now, which meant she could be naked if she so desired.

Steven peeked open one eye to find Peridot staring him down from the tub. The water settled at her ribs, leaving the rest of her exposed. There was something peculiar about her anatomy, though: she looked like a child's doll, with no features that would mark her as mammalian. “Well,” he stated, picking himself up off the ground. “Guess I should wash your hair now, huh?”

Steven worked the shampoo into Peridot's hair. She had _so_ much hair. When wet, it laid just below her shoulders and was pin straight, much different than its usual triangular shape. He struck up conversation as he brushed the knots out of her hair with his fingers.

“Are you excited about being a mom?”

Peridot twitched her ears. Excited wasn't exactly how she'd describe it. She was excited when she was assigned a mission to Earth. She was excited when she was designated her very own jasper. But she was ambivalent towards her impending motherhood. She cared deeply about the little gems growing inside her, no doubt. Yet she knew nothing about what they'd be like, and she knew even less about how to raise them. “Yes, I'm excited,” she lied.

“That's good!” Steven chirped. “I've never seen a gem baby before. Is your baby going to be a peridot? Or is it going to look like its dad?”

Peridot snickered. “I have more than one baby in me, you know.”

“Oh! Twins?”

“Not quite.” Peridot drummed her fingers on her tummy. She actually wasn't sure just how many gemlings she was carrying. There were at least five, broadcasting their lifeforce so faintly that only Peridot could sense them. She had to wonder if they could sense her back. “Five. Maybe more.”

Steven gasped. “ _Five babies?_ ” He looked so starry-eyed. Peridot almost found it cute. “I can't believe you're having _five_ babies!” he exclaimed. Peridot could hardly believe it, either. At least _somebody_ was happy for her.

–

Peridot shook the water out of her hair. Being wet was not pleasant. At least she was clean now. She sat patiently on the sofa, a beach towel wrapped around her body. She felt vulnerable; Steven had left her there alone while he fetched supplies. She made herself comfortable in the meantime, nesting into the cushions.

“My dad taught me how to do this,” Steven said, returning with duct tape and a stick. “He broke his leg when he was fighting a gem.” He unrolled the duct tape and used it to affix the stick to Peridot's thigh. “Lapis Lazuli, you know her?”

Peridot scowled. Yes, she did know Lapis Lazuli. Her informant. She wasn't exactly fond of her, to say the least. She seemed demure but Peridot knew she was hiding something sinister. A gem as powerful as her should have never been given free reign. “Yes, I know her. She was on my ship.”

“Right, the ship. I almost forgot about that. I hope you didn't want that back. It kind of exploded.”

“ _Exploded!?_ ” Peridot's voice cracked. Her logs, her belongings, her _ship_! Her breath caught in her throat as she thought of Jasper. Jasper was on the ship when it went down. There was no way she could have survived the impact. Peridot didn't want Jasper dead, even if she was vindictive and uncaring. “I...” she didn't know what to say. Tears welled up in her eyes.

“I know. I'm sorry. It was kind of our fault.” Steven shuffled his feet. “I hope we can make it up to you.” He presented a pile of clothes to Peridot. They were mostly tattered sweats, hand-me-downs from his father. “They're not really your style, but it's all I could find that would fit you. Maybe we can go clothes shopping tomorrow.”

Peridot took the pile of clothes from the boy's hands. She felt the fabric between her fingers. “Thank you.” She bedded into the sofa and closed her eyes. “I appreciate it.”

“You're welcome. Good night.”

 

 


End file.
